FRANCIS PICABIA, (1879-1953)
Sans titre (Espagnole)
Sans titre (Espagnole)
signed 'Francis Picabia' (lower centre)
gouache, watercolour, ink and pencil on paper
62.7 x 48cm (24 11/16 x 18 7/8in).
Executed circa 1926-1927
The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by the Comité Picabia. This work will be included in the forthcoming Francis Picabia catalogue raisonné.
Provenance
Anon. sale, Trianon Palace, Versailles, 14-15 May 1966, lot 76.
Anon. sale, Piasa, Paris, 18 June 2004, lot 34.
Acquired at the above sale by the previous owner; their sale, Christie's, London, 10 February 2011, lot 290.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Literature
M-L. Borràs, Picabia, Paris, 1985.
Among the numerous portraits of Spanish women executed by the Surrealist painter Francis Picabia, the present work distinguishes itself by the richness, the density, and the texture of its background, as well as the exceptionally fine depiction of the sitter's face.
The woman's face is particularly expressive with her eyes lifted in a pleading attitude. She is not weeping, but rather gazes up with the hint of a smile across her lips. The diaphanous quality of her skin is enhanced by her beauty spot and a curl of jet-black hair. Her mantilla is also richly worked, with the nuances of forms, materials, and colours in the lace more subtly depicted than in many of the portraits Picabia executed in this important series.
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Sans titre (Espagnole)
Sans titre (Espagnole)
signed 'Francis Picabia' (lower centre)
gouache, watercolour, ink and pencil on paper
62.7 x 48cm (24 11/16 x 18 7/8in).
Executed circa 1926-1927
The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by the Comité Picabia. This work will be included in the forthcoming Francis Picabia catalogue raisonné.
Provenance
Anon. sale, Trianon Palace, Versailles, 14-15 May 1966, lot 76.
Anon. sale, Piasa, Paris, 18 June 2004, lot 34.
Acquired at the above sale by the previous owner; their sale, Christie's, London, 10 February 2011, lot 290.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Literature
M-L. Borràs, Picabia, Paris, 1985.
Among the numerous portraits of Spanish women executed by the Surrealist painter Francis Picabia, the present work distinguishes itself by the richness, the density, and the texture of its background, as well as the exceptionally fine depiction of the sitter's face.
The woman's face is particularly expressive with her eyes lifted in a pleading attitude. She is not weeping, but rather gazes up with the hint of a smile across her lips. The diaphanous quality of her skin is enhanced by her beauty spot and a curl of jet-black hair. Her mantilla is also richly worked, with the nuances of forms, materials, and colours in the lace more subtly depicted than in many of the portraits Picabia executed in this important series.
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
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